There are many different apologetic approaches that Christian’s can choose to utilize when trying to evangelize to non-believers. However, every non-believer is different so Christians may have to employ various apologetics techniques in order to reach that person. Sometimes you may have to use multiple approaches in order to truly impact someone, while other times you may only have to use one approach. Personally, I believe that in order to reach this specific non-believer we must utilize various apologetics approaches such as stories, emotions, and truth in order to make an impact. However, before we even begin to try to evangelize to this person we must first try to listen to and understand this non-believers current beliefs. As this non-believer in the first sentence of his rant he communicates that he feels as if …show more content…
Since, the non-believer has begun to open up I would try to utilize the apologetics approach that has an emphasis on emotions and stories. Especially, since this non-believer thinks that all Christians talk about is doctrine and theology. As only arguing about the existence of whether or not God exists or debating doctrine is not going to convince someone to want to turn to Christianity. However, by creating a setting in which emotions come into play allows for everyone and anyone to connect to Christianity, as emotions are something that every person experienced no matter their gender, race, sexuality, etc. Francis Spufford, the writer of the “The Right-brained Apologetics” article says, “Emotions create the setting in which the ideas begin to matter as something more than dry abstractions (Spufford 36).” Making the point that there needs to first be a reason for why a person would engage in a theological argument and emotions can do
He uses emotional appeal the most because it is easier to connect to people through their emotions. Jonathan Edwards, in my personal opinion, used all the rhetorical appeals and successfully delivered a moving sermon. After his sermon there where many people converted and who had trust in Jesus Christ as their savior. Edwards’s sermon had a dramatic effect on his listeners. Many people believe that it was all due to his fiery descriptions of hell and eternal damnation. In the background of the sermon it stated “Edwards believed that religion should be rooted not only in reason but also in emotion” (Interactive Reader
"I cannot forgive Descartes. In all his philosophy he would have been quite willing to dispense with God. But he had to make Him give a fillip to set the world in motion; beyond this, he has no further need of God."
In 1741, Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan preacher of that time, had one thing on his mind: to convert sinners, on the road to hell, to salvation. It just so happened to be, that his way of doing that was to preach the reality to them and scare them to the point of conversion. Sermons of this time were preached to persuade people to be converted and to me it seemed that Edwards just had a special way of doing it. Just as people are being influenced by rhetoric appeals today Edwards used the same method on his congregation. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Jonathan Edwards positively affected his readers using pathos, logos, and ethos, while trying to convince the unconverted members of his sermon to be born again.
Moral conviction is something that everyone should have, it is inherent, or at least that is the assumption. In the book, "A Case for Christianity", by C. S. Lewis, Lewis argues that it is part of the "Moral Law". Not the part that will make you forget about yourself and help someone else even though it might put you in danger, but rather the part that makes you feel bad when you have wronged another person or broken your own moral code. That is just it though, you set your own moral code, not anyone else. Sure it can be influenced by teachers, parents, friends, movies, media, and numerous other entities of our society, but the end result is your own choice, your own moral standard that you have set for yourself.
in. As Christians, it is our duty to spread God’s Word and let people know about Him and his unconditional love. It is up to the people to choose to learn more about God and follow him. People can’t be forced to believe in something, all we, as Christians, can do is live our life righteously and as a witness for God and show people that it is more comforting to believe in God and His love for us than to not have anything to believe in at all.
...at's right and believing in what you say is all it takes to make the difference. How can we apply this to our lives? Sharing God's gift of salvation to every person we know, no matter what they might say or think since the gospel is God's power for salvation, and if we are totally sure about that, then why should we keep it a secret? Surely, your message will not return empty.
Theology is an intentionally reflective endeavor. Every day we reflect upon the real, vital, and true experience of the benevolent God that exists. We as humans tend to be social beings, and being so we communicate our beliefs with one another in order to validate ourselves. Furthermore atheism has many forms, three of the most popular atheistic beliefs include: scientific atheism, humanistic atheism and the most popular one being protest atheism. Scientific atheism is the idea that science is the answer for everything and god is not existent. The humanistic approach states that society is self-sufficient; therefore God is not needed for survival. Therefore how could he exist? The position that I will argue in this paper is the pessimistic idea of protest atheism.
Jesus, a name known by billions throughout the world. To each, this name means something different; savior, friend, philosopher, prophet, teacher, fraud, fake, liar. Some even believe that He is just an imaginary character from the minds of those who wrote about Him. The Westminster Dictionary of Theology describes apologetics as, "Defense, by argument, of Christian belief against external criticism or against other worldly views" (Apologetics 31-32). Though there are still many mysteries that surround the ongoing debate about Christianity, evidence can now prove some of what Christians took by faith before. Now, more than ever, there is information to prove the existence of this man that walked the earth more than two thousand years ago. Little remains of His life and works except for that which is contained within the pages of the Holy Bible. Throughout the past century alone, there have been numerous discoveries, both scientific and archeological; to further prove the existence of a man called Jesus and reinforce the Bible as a legitimate historical document. The validity of Christianity and Jesus Christ himself has been the center of religious controversy for centuries. Though His identity has not and probably never will be proven, He did exist. This paper will use apologetics to prove this so. Sufficient evidence proves the existence of Jesus and forms a firm basis for Christianity.
According to Odia, (2014), Christianity's center of gravity shift from Europe into the global south over the last 100 years has been the most dramatic since the advent of Christianity 2,000 years ago. Quantitatively, Odia also posits that it may also be the largest shift in religious affiliation that has ever occurred, anywhere.
and grow in the scope of their experience and understanding of their faith.1 All Christians engage
5. Smith, J. M. (2011). Becoming an atheist in America: Constructing Identity and Meaning from
...hal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Called to Love: Christian Witness Can Be the Best Response to Atheist Polemics." America 198 (2008): 23. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
A Christian apologetic method is a verbal defense of the biblical worldview. A proof is giving a reason for why we believe. This paper will address the philosophical question of God’s existence from the moral argument. The presuppositional apologetic method of Reformed thinkers Cornelius Van Til and John Frame will be the framework. Topics covered here could undoubtedly be developed in more depth, but that would be getting ahead, here is the big picture.
This passage captures the essence of how the average religious person views atheism. Atheism is probably the least popular and least understood philosophical position in America today. It is often approached with fear and mistrust, as if one were about to investigate a doctrine that advocates a ...
All over the world, many people practice a religion of their choice. With any religion people participate in many rituals that show their commitment to their religion. Amongst the five major religions of the world, which are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, they are all significant to what people believe in. Each of them include rituals, places of worship, a God or Gods, and so much more. The five major religions of the world each have key characteristics that highlight both their similarities and differences.